[Applause]
today I want you to meet my friend sada
martini sada and I have so much in
common we both like listening to rental
house music we’re both foodies who like
to eat a lot and later complain about
how much we just ate
we both want to become lawyers and fight
for the human rights issues we believe
in and we’re both Syrian I was born in
America but I said my first words took
my first steps and grew up in Aleppo
sada grew up in Damascus several our
South the same cities that have now been
described as some of the most dangerous
places on earth where once our homes but
it wasn’t always like this
Syria was once an economically thriving
vibrant country sada and I grew up in
cities that were peaceful and gave each
individual sense of belonging sada and I
love going to soups and wandering the
alleys mothers could leave their kids
and shoulders outside of stores while
they shopped and you could safely walk
the town day or night
saad was an accomplished swimmer and
swept many hours a week in the pool
meanwhile I was busy with piano lessons
and tennis I never had to worry that
Siddhas Muslim and I’m Christian because
religions coexisted in the Sierra I grew
up in our happy childhoods are probably
not what you first imagined when I told
you Sarah and I grew up in Syria and
although we share so much we left Syria
under very different circumstances
I left the Leppa August 3rd 2011 by
plane I’m so grateful
I saved this plane ticket because it
means so much to me today I left to go
to University in Boston but I never
imagined I’d be leaving in definitely
now it has almost been eight years my
dad might never return to his home still
I was one of the lucky few that managed
to easily leave Syria by plane without
having to Antonis horrors watch family
members pass away and experience
hardships as a refugee this is where
mine and Sarah’s storage diverge sada
like so many refugees had to embark on a
life risking journey towards yard by sea
because the land border crossings are
closed sod on her sister
were forced to put their lives in the
hands of a smuggler
that exploited them by putting them on
on a dinghy that was barely functioning
only 15 minutes into the crossing the
engine of the dingey felt sadder recalls
tying herself she did not want to die
and was not ready to die as she jumped
into the water to begin pulling the
dinghy yousra also a trained swimmer was
by her side the entire way
together they courageously dragged the
boat to safety by swimming for three
hours and a half sarah’s agonizing
journey continued as she and her sister
were taken to a registration Center
known as Moria where the refugees are
greeted by police and the conditions in
the refugee camp are not livable
although sodden I share so much the vast
difference between our stories can be
traced to our passports meinem erican
her Syrian when the refugee crisis
escalated at the end of 2015 the media
was filled with images of devastated
refugees arriving with only the
belongings they could carry I couldn’t
seem to wrap my head around this because
I was able to easily leave my plane at
the start of the war I felt a deep sense
of responsibility to my fellow Syrians
and I was compelled to try to help in
any way possible so I began to search
for organizations on the ground and I
came across the BIRT refugee foundation
a Dutch NGO many of the volunteers had
no direct attachment to the refugees yet
they would work day and night to try to
make a single person feel human again
that is how I became a volunteer on the
Greek island of Lesbos when you first
hear the words Greek island chances are
you pictures something like this let
your mind wander along the speech for
five seconds what about this image what
is different from your expectations and
from the beach you imagined this
exercise reflects what it’s like to have
your perception change after going
through a volunteering experience this
is where my mind wanders now whenever I
look at a beach because of my time in
lesbos lesbos is known as the gateway
island for refugees seeking asylum in
Europe from where I was working I could
see the coast of Turkey across the ocean
like sada many refugees arrive on an
overcrowded dinghy intended to hold 20
people but carrying up to 70 people on
board to make matters worse they’re
given fake life jackets made out of
styrofoam a material that can now
actually save lives I got to visit the
so called life jacket graveyard it was
filled with piles of bright orange life
jackets torn rubber rafts and children’s
floaty devices as I looked at this
graveyard I was shocked by the sheer
number of life jackets of all the people
they represented and of the lives lost
the first time I went to lesbos I went
with an emotional guard up because I
didn’t know what to expect as a Syrian
that hadn’t experienced these same
hardships I was privileged and I didn’t
know how to feel about that I remember
one refugee saying we’re both Syrian but
at the end of the day you get to leave
and I remain here a refugee when reading
the refugees I wanted to get to know
them beyond just the refugee status I
wanted to get to know them as people so
that I can show that they were exactly
like you and me
I returned to Lhasa I get a second time
in May of last year and I worked with
the emergency rescue center
international a search and rescue
organization
my experience with Arci was even more
hands-on helping with boat landings
patrolling the oceans and rescuing
people I wish I could say that
conditions in the camps had improved but
for the most part they had it many of
the refugees I had previously met were
still stuck in limbo because of slow
processing of their asylum applications
I was struck by how much had happened
for me in one year while so little had
changed for them during the months that
I was away from lesbos I kept in touch
with many of the refugees I had Matt our
bonds became stronger and a relationship
of trust was established so I went when
I returned the second time it was much
easier for them to naturally open up to
me and unconsciously share bits and
pieces of their journeys I saw and felt
the real impact I could have something
as simple as sharing a smile with
someone who had gone through so much was
enough on a few occasions refugee
parents would come up to me and say I
hope that our
own daughters because someday do the
same type of work that you were doing as
much as I wanted this to fill me with
hope I couldn’t help but feel sadness
that these girls wouldn’t actually have
my same privilege to do the same type of
work that I was doing I might start up
my second time while working in lesbos
while working with ER CI I remember her
saying she saw me as a person that she
could have been if the war in Syria
hadn’t happened yeah what Sarah didn’t
realize is that she is a literal role
model to all these young girls as
someone who endured their same situation
I left and I couldn’t remember how
things were
I remember what before volunteering I
had been desensitized by statistics
numbers and dramatic headlines which
make us all forget about the human
element taking down my emotional walls
and listening to people’s flight stories
allowed me to fully understand the depth
of this crisis it wasn’t just impacting
the handful of families that I have
Marin lesbos but all the other refugees
scattered in Lebanon Jordan Turkey and
other parts of Europe I felt like a tiny
person in the face of enormous crisis so
what do you do when you leave a place
like lesbos to return home for me home
is Boston for SATA it is Berlin how do
you deal with it all emotionally when I
returned to Boston I couldn’t help but
feel guilty that I could easily get on a
plane again and leave lesbos while the
refugees I admired remain trapped I was
no longer than Lazarus physically but my
heart and mind were I jumped right back
into law school but I would be sitting
in class and my mind would wander
towards the stories I had heard and the
people I had not I remember the first
day of my international law class we had
to go around say our names and say we
were from after I introduced myself I
couldn’t help but recall little Yusef
who when asked where he was strong has
said from here from the count even
though I knew that he was actually also
from Aleppo for me they’ll always be a
beautiful and untouched Aleppo but for
this little boy there was only the
refugee camp with no before and
possibly know after yeah Yousef is
resiliency was changed my perspective on
so many things he was always smiling
when you’re there on the ground
volunteering you don’t have the time to
mentally process everything because so
many things happen in one day when I had
time to reflect that home it is these
small yet meaningful interactions with
people that are I think back on the most
I came back to my comfort zone but I no
longer found comfort in ER a feeling of
guilt also sank in because I was no
longer in the field helping but I
quickly realized that this feeling of
guilt was not productive I wanted to
share these stories and I wanted people
around me to hear them so I decided to
start a social media page called me
called me to refugee meter refugee gave
my funds a platform to connect with the
world I would reflect back and raise
awareness at the same time as soon as I
began writing about my friends I felt as
if I had lifted a huge weight off my
shoulders what I’ve learned from doing
this type of work is to not lose hope
think about the lives you have impacted
and take the time to reflect that home
before jumping back into your ordinary
routine you may feel guilty for going on
and continuing on with your life but you
could channel that guilt into doing
something from home for me I was
starting my major refugee page what this
platform I could virtually visit other
refugee camps which was something that I
hadn’t always wanted to do by sharing my
story I hope I could compel you to
contribute toward solving this refugee
crisis the magnitude can be overwhelming
but it doesn’t have to be to resolve
this refugee crisis it will take
involvement on all levels there are many
ways that you can help that are small
and accessible welcome newly arrived
refugees by contacting your local
resettlement agencies donate to
organizations on the ground remain aware
of the conditions of the countries
people are fleeing and stay engaged with
the crisis even if it has left a media
spotlight support local businesses that
hire refugees amplify refugee voices you
could be the small piece in the puzzle
that together makes a big impact in the
lives of real people and now I want you
to
participate and meet a refugee I would
like to welcome to the stage set up
within the audience with us today thank you
today I want you to meet my friend sada
martini sada and I have so much in
common we both like listening to rental
house music we’re both foodies who like
to eat a lot and later complain about
how much we just ate
we both want to become lawyers and fight
for the human rights issues we believe
in and we’re both Syrian I was born in
America but I said my first words took
my first steps and grew up in Aleppo
sada grew up in Damascus several our
South the same cities that have now been
described as some of the most dangerous
places on earth where once our homes but
it wasn’t always like this
Syria was once an economically thriving
vibrant country sada and I grew up in
cities that were peaceful and gave each
individual sense of belonging sada and I
love going to soups and wandering the
alleys mothers could leave their kids
and shoulders outside of stores while
they shopped and you could safely walk
the town day or night
saad was an accomplished swimmer and
swept many hours a week in the pool
meanwhile I was busy with piano lessons
and tennis I never had to worry that
Siddhas Muslim and I’m Christian because
religions coexisted in the Sierra I grew
up in our happy childhoods are probably
not what you first imagined when I told
you Sarah and I grew up in Syria and
although we share so much we left Syria
under very different circumstances
I left the Leppa August 3rd 2011 by
plane I’m so grateful
I saved this plane ticket because it
means so much to me today I left to go
to University in Boston but I never
imagined I’d be leaving in definitely
now it has almost been eight years my
dad might never return to his home still
I was one of the lucky few that managed
to easily leave Syria by plane without
having to Antonis horrors watch family
members pass away and experience
hardships as a refugee this is where
mine and Sarah’s storage diverge sada
like so many refugees had to embark on a
life risking journey towards yard by sea
because the land border crossings are
closed sod on her sister
were forced to put their lives in the
hands of a smuggler
that exploited them by putting them on
on a dinghy that was barely functioning
only 15 minutes into the crossing the
engine of the dingey felt sadder recalls
tying herself she did not want to die
and was not ready to die as she jumped
into the water to begin pulling the
dinghy yousra also a trained swimmer was
by her side the entire way
together they courageously dragged the
boat to safety by swimming for three
hours and a half sarah’s agonizing
journey continued as she and her sister
were taken to a registration Center
known as Moria where the refugees are
greeted by police and the conditions in
the refugee camp are not livable
although sodden I share so much the vast
difference between our stories can be
traced to our passports meinem erican
her Syrian when the refugee crisis
escalated at the end of 2015 the media
was filled with images of devastated
refugees arriving with only the
belongings they could carry I couldn’t
seem to wrap my head around this because
I was able to easily leave my plane at
the start of the war I felt a deep sense
of responsibility to my fellow Syrians
and I was compelled to try to help in
any way possible so I began to search
for organizations on the ground and I
came across the BIRT refugee foundation
a Dutch NGO many of the volunteers had
no direct attachment to the refugees yet
they would work day and night to try to
make a single person feel human again
that is how I became a volunteer on the
Greek island of Lesbos when you first
hear the words Greek island chances are
you pictures something like this let
your mind wander along the speech for
five seconds what about this image what
is different from your expectations and
from the beach you imagined this
exercise reflects what it’s like to have
your perception change after going
through a volunteering experience this
is where my mind wanders now whenever I
look at a beach because of my time in
lesbos lesbos is known as the gateway
island for refugees seeking asylum in
Europe from where I was working I could
see the coast of Turkey across the ocean
like sada many refugees arrive on an
overcrowded dinghy intended to hold 20
people but carrying up to 70 people on
board to make matters worse they’re
given fake life jackets made out of
styrofoam a material that can now
actually save lives I got to visit the
so called life jacket graveyard it was
filled with piles of bright orange life
jackets torn rubber rafts and children’s
floaty devices as I looked at this
graveyard I was shocked by the sheer
number of life jackets of all the people
they represented and of the lives lost
the first time I went to lesbos I went
with an emotional guard up because I
didn’t know what to expect as a Syrian
that hadn’t experienced these same
hardships I was privileged and I didn’t
know how to feel about that I remember
one refugee saying we’re both Syrian but
at the end of the day you get to leave
and I remain here a refugee when reading
the refugees I wanted to get to know
them beyond just the refugee status I
wanted to get to know them as people so
that I can show that they were exactly
like you and me
I returned to Lhasa I get a second time
in May of last year and I worked with
the emergency rescue center
international a search and rescue
organization
my experience with Arci was even more
hands-on helping with boat landings
patrolling the oceans and rescuing
people I wish I could say that
conditions in the camps had improved but
for the most part they had it many of
the refugees I had previously met were
still stuck in limbo because of slow
processing of their asylum applications
I was struck by how much had happened
for me in one year while so little had
changed for them during the months that
I was away from lesbos I kept in touch
with many of the refugees I had Matt our
bonds became stronger and a relationship
of trust was established so I went when
I returned the second time it was much
easier for them to naturally open up to
me and unconsciously share bits and
pieces of their journeys I saw and felt
the real impact I could have something
as simple as sharing a smile with
someone who had gone through so much was
enough on a few occasions refugee
parents would come up to me and say I
hope that our
own daughters because someday do the
same type of work that you were doing as
much as I wanted this to fill me with
hope I couldn’t help but feel sadness
that these girls wouldn’t actually have
my same privilege to do the same type of
work that I was doing I might start up
my second time while working in lesbos
while working with ER CI I remember her
saying she saw me as a person that she
could have been if the war in Syria
hadn’t happened yeah what Sarah didn’t
realize is that she is a literal role
model to all these young girls as
someone who endured their same situation
I left and I couldn’t remember how
things were
I remember what before volunteering I
had been desensitized by statistics
numbers and dramatic headlines which
make us all forget about the human
element taking down my emotional walls
and listening to people’s flight stories
allowed me to fully understand the depth
of this crisis it wasn’t just impacting
the handful of families that I have
Marin lesbos but all the other refugees
scattered in Lebanon Jordan Turkey and
other parts of Europe I felt like a tiny
person in the face of enormous crisis so
what do you do when you leave a place
like lesbos to return home for me home
is Boston for SATA it is Berlin how do
you deal with it all emotionally when I
returned to Boston I couldn’t help but
feel guilty that I could easily get on a
plane again and leave lesbos while the
refugees I admired remain trapped I was
no longer than Lazarus physically but my
heart and mind were I jumped right back
into law school but I would be sitting
in class and my mind would wander
towards the stories I had heard and the
people I had not I remember the first
day of my international law class we had
to go around say our names and say we
were from after I introduced myself I
couldn’t help but recall little Yusef
who when asked where he was strong has
said from here from the count even
though I knew that he was actually also
from Aleppo for me they’ll always be a
beautiful and untouched Aleppo but for
this little boy there was only the
refugee camp with no before and
possibly know after yeah Yousef is
resiliency was changed my perspective on
so many things he was always smiling
when you’re there on the ground
volunteering you don’t have the time to
mentally process everything because so
many things happen in one day when I had
time to reflect that home it is these
small yet meaningful interactions with
people that are I think back on the most
I came back to my comfort zone but I no
longer found comfort in ER a feeling of
guilt also sank in because I was no
longer in the field helping but I
quickly realized that this feeling of
guilt was not productive I wanted to
share these stories and I wanted people
around me to hear them so I decided to
start a social media page called me
called me to refugee meter refugee gave
my funds a platform to connect with the
world I would reflect back and raise
awareness at the same time as soon as I
began writing about my friends I felt as
if I had lifted a huge weight off my
shoulders what I’ve learned from doing
this type of work is to not lose hope
think about the lives you have impacted
and take the time to reflect that home
before jumping back into your ordinary
routine you may feel guilty for going on
and continuing on with your life but you
could channel that guilt into doing
something from home for me I was
starting my major refugee page what this
platform I could virtually visit other
refugee camps which was something that I
hadn’t always wanted to do by sharing my
story I hope I could compel you to
contribute toward solving this refugee
crisis the magnitude can be overwhelming
but it doesn’t have to be to resolve
this refugee crisis it will take
involvement on all levels there are many
ways that you can help that are small
and accessible welcome newly arrived
refugees by contacting your local
resettlement agencies donate to
organizations on the ground remain aware
of the conditions of the countries
people are fleeing and stay engaged with
the crisis even if it has left a media
spotlight support local businesses that
hire refugees amplify refugee voices you
could be the small piece in the puzzle
that together makes a big impact in the
lives of real people and now I want you
to
participate and meet a refugee I would
like to welcome to the stage set up
within the audience with us today thank you
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